 We sought out a few rib-sticking, autumnal onion dishes from farmers and chefs in the Black Dirt region. James Haurey, chef at the Crystal Inn, a restaurant in Warwick, makes a classic cream-based onion soup that is masterfully minimal. To show off the freshness of the onion, he resists caramelizing it, choosing instead a long, slow braise in butter, olive oil and dry white wine. Once puréed, the silky, lily-white soup that results is naturally quite sweet, almost fruity. It's rich enough that it thickens to custard consistency at room temperature, and it can double as a sauce for roast lamb (what Francophiles might recognize as a sauce soubise, minus the starch), or as a base for any number of other ideas, like fish chowder, pasta sauce or ham-and-bean soup. Read original NYT story>> |
| Recipe: Creamy Pine Island Onion Soup Adapted from James Haurey, Crystal Inn, Warwick, N.Y. Time: About 2 hours. Adapted from James Haurey, Crystal Inn, Warwick, N.Y.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds yellow onions, peeled, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
2 cups dry white wine such as pinot grigio
1 pint heavy cream
1 small bunch of chives, thinly sliced
Croutons for garnish (optional).
1. In a large stock pot with a heavy bottom, melt butter with olive oil over low heat until frothy. Add onions, salt and black pepper and sauté slowly, stirring frequently, taking care not to let onions brown, until they are completely soft and tender, about 1 hour.
2. Add wine, turn heat to medium, and simmer until reduced by a half (about 1/2 hour). Add heavy cream and cook over low heat until reduced by a third (about 1/2 hour).
3. Transfer soup in batches to a food processor or blender, and purée until smooth. Transfer soup to a large, clean pot, return to serving temperature over low heat, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve in bowls, garnished with a sprinkle of chives, and croutons, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings. Read original NYT article that profiled Chef Haurey while he was executive chef at The Dining Room at The Short Hills Hilton>>
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their customers. The second is to update their menu and ambiance to stay current with changing tastes and times. This doesn't mean reinventing yourseld so much as evolving with new ideas while preserving some of the things that have always been popular.